Link Love | Happy Stuff

Just a couple links to send you on your way this weekend. Big thanks for all your kindness and love these past couple of weeks - I'm so thankful for your support.

Martha Halloween | I love Halloween. Last year my brother and sister and their families were here for Halloween and they are all planning to come here again - this is awesome since they both live in other states. We all have young kids and the neighborhood we live in does Halloween really well. Martha's always got cool ideas. In her special Halloween issue there's a cool costume I think I might try this year - kind of a bride of Frankenstein look.

Glitter Paper from My Mind's Eye | When I was at Creative Escape last month I picked up a bunch of their glitter paper. I've got a layout on in-progress on my table right now. Love that pre-glittered paper. It's kinda hard to tell when you look at the images online where the glitter is, but it's there and it's cool. I especially like this one, this one, and this one.

What To Wear When You Travel via Simple Mom. I tweeted this one this morning - a nice reminder to pack less for my upcoming trip. I'm going out today to try on some skinny jeans - this will be my first pair and I love the look of them tucked into boots. Hoping to find something that looks and feels good. Any recommendations?

When your life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday life, something magical happens: Ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the very process of life begins to nourish your soul.Rabbi Harold Kushner

Really liked the Todd Henry link. Makes a lot of sense. I know I have unconsciously done this at times and always felt better for it. Maybe it's time to give it a little conscious effort.
Thanks for all of your inspiration!

I don't normally wear skinny jeans either but I just bought a pair from Abercrombie & Fitch that fit me like a glove. I'm sure with your height and slim figure you'll look great in them. The cutting also makes your butt look pretty good...just in case you wanted to know...lol!

For jeans, I love Levis "Skinny"--can wear them tucked into boots or cuffed with flats. I also love anything from Lands End Canvas. The packing list is almost identical to what I took to Europe for a 2 week trip last year. Everything fit in 1/2 of a Rick Steves backpack which offered 2 bonuses: carry-on, since the bag fits in overhead and no worries about lost luggage and plenty of room for take home goodies.

Believe it or not, Target has great jeans right now - and only $25! I like Mossimo premium denim skinny (fit 4). They have some stretch and the waist isn't too low. The waist does stretch more as you wear them, so be sure they are not too big to begin with. I am so happy with them, I've bought 3 pairs!

I love my skinny Jeans from the GAP. Actually I want another pair - as they are my go to jeans these days. Inspired by the lovely Lisa Leonard I love to put them under a belted dress! Add some boots! And scarf and a cardi! Super cute!

I like the slim-straight jeans from EB. Not a true skinny, I don't think, but I'm a little late to the trend anyway. Still fits in a boot, but I like to roll up the hems (one big wide fold) and wear them with flip-flops--love that you can still wear flops in the fall.

Five Tips For Better Self Portraits via Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess. Thank you for sharing this post. Her site is alot of fun. Love the quote your mom sent. I hope you find a great pair of skinny jeans - that you love!

I don't have a recommendation for skinny jeans but I can recommend really good shoes for walking all over Europe without looking too dorky- anything from Naot. The are pricey but you can find deals online. I suggest trying them on in the store first then try to find a good deal. Have a good trip!

I love my Old Navy skinny jeans (cheaper than Gap but just as good for my body type), which I bought in a 'short' so that I can wear them folded up a tiny bit as capris, or straight down and they'll be perfect for boots. Good luck!

For look and feel for a regular woman...I'd recommend the true straight leg, not the actual skinny, although they certainly fit like gloves and into boots. I like both Paige's "Skyline" and Citizen's of Humanity's "Ava". And I highly recommend Steve's Jeans in Northwest Portland for service (Steve himself will actually fit your body to a jean) and selection. Good luck and have fun Ali girl!

I saw a gal at Target this afternoon that totally rocked the skinny jeans- they were even cropped- almost capris- and the cut on her was amazing. She wasn't a size 0 or anything like that either- it totally blew my mind and now I am curious. I really think it has to do with the cut- because I've seen them on others and it just looks awful. I was SO tempted to ask her what brand they were. She looked awesome!